If you are opening a digital print shop or growing a copy centre, you will probably face this choice: start with a smaller machine such as the Ricoh Pro C5200S, or go straight to a larger one such as the Ricoh Pro C7100S?
Both are four-colour, and both have the same print resolution, so the comparison is direct: the difference is in the machine’s size, speed and running cost, not in the kind of work it produces.
The short answer
- Start with the Ricoh Pro C5200S if your business is still being built, or your space is small, or your power supply is ordinary. It fits in any shop and produces production-quality work.
- Take the Ricoh Pro C7100S if you have steady work in volume, and want higher speed and a lower toner cost.
Number by number
| Ricoh Pro C5200S | Ricoh Pro C7100S | |
|---|---|---|
| Speed | 65 pages per minute | 80 pages per minute |
| Colours | 4 colours (CMYK) | 4 colours (CMYK) |
| Print resolution | 1200 × 4800 dpi | 1200 × 4800 dpi |
| Maximum paper weight | 360 gsm | 360 gsm (duplex) |
| Maximum size | SRA3+, and banner up to 70 cm | SRA3 |
| Maximum paper capacity | 8,250 sheets | 16,200 sheets |
| Monthly volume | — | up to 700,000 pages |
| Full line length | about 2.33 m | about 3.18 m |
| Total weight | about 397 kg | about 897 kg |
| Power | one 12 A line, 2,400 W | two 16 A lines, under 5,000 W |
| Warm-up time | about two minutes | under five minutes |
| Toner set price in Egypt (4 colours) | EGP 18,500 | EGP 26,500 |
| A toner set prints about | 6,900 sheets | 12,000 sheets |
Quality: no difference worth counting
Both image with a 40-beam VCSEL laser at 1200 × 4800, and both take paper up to 360 gsm. A card or brochure from the C5200S comes out at the same level as from the C7100S.
So if someone tells you to take the bigger one for quality, that is not a reason. The real reasons follow.
Space and power: the first thing to work out
This is the difference that settles the matter before any specification. The C5200S line is about 2.33 m long and weighs under 400 kg, and it runs on a single 12 A power line. It goes into an ordinary shop or an upper floor with no special preparation.
The C7100S line is about 3.18 m and weighs about 897 kg, more than twice the weight, and it needs two separate power lines. You must be sure the floor will carry it and the distribution board is enough before you order.
If your site is not ready for the C7100S, the cost of preparing it is part of the machine’s price.
Toner cost: the surprise
Many people assume the smaller machine is cheaper to run. For toner the opposite is true. The C5200S toner set is cheaper (EGP 18,500 against EGP 26,500), but it prints about 6,900 sheets against 12,000 for the C7100S set. This is the toner of each job, by order, on the two machines:
| Job | Order | C5200S | C7100S |
|---|---|---|---|
| Poster one side · 1 per sheet100 posters | 100 posters | EGP 120 | EGP 99 |
| Folded A4 brochure two sides · 2 per sheet1,000 brochures | 1,000 brochures | EGP 631 | EGP 520 |
| Product stickers one side · 35 per sheet5,000 stickers | 5,000 stickers | EGP 233 | EGP 192 |
| A5 flyer two sides · 4 per sheet1,000 flyers | 1,000 flyers | EGP 454 | EGP 374 |
| Book or magazine cover one side · 1 per sheet500 covers | 500 covers | EGP 925 | EGP 762 |
| Wedding cards one side · 4 per sheet500 cards | 500 cards | EGP 270 | EGP 222 |
| A3 menu two sides · 1 per sheet100 menus | 100 menus | EGP 339 | EGP 279 |
| Business cards two sides · 24 per sheet1,000 cards | 1,000 cards | EGP 174 | EGP 143 |
| One sheet of everyday press work33 × 48 cm, one side | 33 × 48 cm, one side | EGP 2.68 | EGP 2.21 |
The figures come from everyday press work on the 33 × 48 cm sheet, a quarter of the full sheet. A job printed on both sides is counted with both sides. All prices are in Egyptian pounds.
So the same work costs about 21% more in toner on the C5200S. If you print 10,000 sheets a month of everyday press work, toner for the C5200S is about EGP 26,800 and for the C7100S about EGP 22,100. The difference is about EGP 4,700 a month.
What does that mean? The more your volume grows, the more the C7100S pays back its price difference from toner. And the smaller your volume, the less the toner difference matters, and the purchase price decides.
These prices change, so confirm the current price. For the exact calculation on your own work, ask us.
Speed and size of work
The C7100S is faster by 15 pages a minute, its trays hold up to 16,200 sheets against 8,250, and its monthly volume is up to 700,000 pages. That matters if you have large orders with tight delivery dates.
But if your day is small, varied orders (500 cards here, 200 brochures there), you will not feel the difference. What you will notice is that the C5200S warms up in two minutes and starts working.
A point for the C5200S: banners
The C5200S prints banners up to 70 cm, and the C7100S goes to SRA3. If you make fold-out restaurant menus or long covers, that is an advantage for the smaller machine.
And if you want more than four colours?
These two machines are four-colour only. If your work needs white, clear or neon, look at the C7100X: the same class as the C7100S, with a fifth-colour station. And if you want gold and silver and banners up to 126 cm, there is the C7200X.
How do I choose?
- Are your space and power ready for a machine of about 900 kg on two power lines? If not, C5200S.
- How many sheets do you print, or expect to print, a month? Small and medium volumes: C5200S. Large, steady volumes: the toner and speed difference make the C7100S the more economical.
- Does your work include long formats? The 70 cm banner is on the C5200S only.
You can also start with the C5200S, and when the work grows add a larger machine and keep the first for quick orders.
Before you decide
Come to the showroom with a file from your work, print your sample on both and see the result yourself. Tell us how much you print a month and we will say honestly which one suits you, even if it is the cheaper one.
